


You Fill the (Donut) Hole in My Heart

by cceebbee



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Artist Steve Rogers, Awkward Flirting, College, Flirting, Fluff, Lacrosse Boys, M/M, Mutual Pining, Rich Bucky, Slow Burn, donut shop, supportive boyfriends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-01-26 12:41:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21374320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cceebbee/pseuds/cceebbee
Summary: "It's on the house, now go run and get that train pretty boy!"Steve meets Bucky in a donut shop as he's trying to catch a train home for the holidays but something in the back of his mind is telling him that it's not the last he'll see of the boy.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes & Rebecca Barnes Proctor, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Rebecca Barnes Proctor & Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark
Comments: 12
Kudos: 34





	1. Steve

**Author's Note:**

> *** This work has been edited!! I started this story last year in November and then life got in the way! Now it's June and I'm revisiting it so the first 5 chapters have been edited from what was originally posted in November, everything after that will be new, fun, and fresh!! :) *** 
> 
> This is my first story in this fandom and I am so excited to write it! Basically this story came about because I wrote what some would call a 1500 word “glorified yelp review” of a donut store for a journalisms class. As I was writing it all I could think was, “what if Bucky worked here and Steve went out of his way to visit the store to see Bucky because he thought he was cute and was slowly building up the courage to ask him out?”, and here we are! Please let me know what you're thinking!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Steve, our wholesome Lax bro!

Steve Rogers is a Brooklyn boy through and through, born and raised. The borough made him who he is but that doesn’t mean it’s his end all. For all he knew, 5 years from now he could be backpacking through the Swiss Alps with only his pocket change and a sherpa by his side. At 18, Steve decided he would spread his wings and leave the city to attend college hundreds of miles away, but still within the same state, (“why would you even _consider_ leaving New York?! It’s the best state in the country!”). After graduating from high school as his class salutatorian, his best friend Tony Stark beat him out of the valedictorian position by 0.02 points on his GPA but no one was really keeping track now were they, he committed to Cornell in upstate New York to play lacrosse and major in marketing with a minor in studio art hoping to somehow mix his passion and profession. Steve fit right in at Cornell. He was smart, funny, athletic, and overall a caring gentleman who knew how to woo everyone he met. He had friends around every corner extending from the lacrosse team all the way to the art club. The school was perfect and the education was even better. He came in as a freshman undecided and unsure but now as a Junior, Steve is begging for his time at Cornell to slow down.

Steve loves everything about Cornell and Ithaca and wouldn’t have picked another school after everything he’s gotten to experience, everything except for the weather. Steve is sick and tired of the weather. It was currently November 19th and there had already been 3 snowstorms and even though the snow wasn’t a new concept to him, in the city snow didn’t usually fall until _after_ Thanksgiving. It was always at this point in the semester that he longed for New York City. Midterms came and went and Thanksgiving was the light at the end of the tunnel.

Midterms, ah, yes, the most dreaded time of the year. Managing midterms at Cornell along with fall ball, the team's daily lift schedule, being the president of the art club, and a gaggle of friends and appearances to keep up, Steve couldn’t wait for the one week break where he could lie on the couch and do nothing that was most definitely well-deserved.

He was currently packing up his belongings, dirty laundry and bedroom decor he decided he no longer needed, while his roommate since freshman year, Sam Wilson, sat on his side of their shared room. Sam and Steve met on the Cornell freshman Facebook page and after messaging back and forth for a few weeks decided, what the heck, and filled out the housing application to be roommates. Steve later found out that Sam also played lacrosse in high school and wasn't half bad and convinced him to try out and walk onto the team their freshman year. To both of their delight, Sam made the team as a redshirt freshman and they’ve been partners in crime since that first August. They currently resided in a dorm building near the athletic center but were moving into the lacrosse house for the second half of the semester with a few of their teammates as they prepared for the upcoming season.

Sam was from California and wasn’t flying out of Ithaca until the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and was currently watching Steve frantically pack his belongings in an effort to catch his train on time.

"Dude, do you really need to bring home all of that stuff? I mean, this break is only for one week. Why not just wait for Christmas, or better yet, why not just wait until we move out of here in December?" Sam asked with a chuckle as Steve tried to fit 4 weeks' worth of dirty laundry into a weekend bag.

"Ma wants me to bring extra stuff home now because she isn't sure if she's going to be able to come all the way from Brooklyn to help me bring stuff home for Christmas and none of it is worth bringing to the new house'' Steve said with a sigh of relief as the last of his bags finally zipped closed.

"Thought I would do the leg work now rather than worry about Christmas break in a few weeks. Besides, doing laundry at home means I won't have to worry about clean clothes when I get back".

With a smile on his face, Sam could only let out a small chuckle as a response. Without Steve these last three years, Sam was sure he would have transferred by now. "Well, laundry or not, I hope you have a good break man and tell your Ma I say "hi" alright? She is my favorite Rogers after all".

With his Amtrak ticket queued up on his phone and his bags packed for Thanksgiving break, Steve and Sam shared one last hug and made their way down to the front of their building where his Uber was already waiting. Sam helped him pack the trunk, gave Steve one more hug and stood on the curb and watched the Uber pull away.

Steve loved the train ride from Ithaca to the city. He always splurged on his Amtrak ticket so he had a business seat and was more comfortable. The trip wasn't an easy one, he had to take a bus from Ithaca to Syracuse, which was about an hour and a half, and then a train from Syracuse to Poughkeepsie which took about five hours. In Poughkeepsie he had to transfer from Amtrak to Metro North to take a train into Grand Central which took another 2 hours. And that was just to get into Manhattan. From there he would catch the subway into Brooklyn and, and only then, would he finally be home. It wasn't the smartest way to get home, he could always fly, or finally take his mom up on her offer to get him a car but 10 hours of traveling gave him time to rest and enjoy the scenery of upstate. And it would all be worth it to see his mom and to finally be home after a particularly long semester. So, when the Uber dropped him off, he gathered all of his bags and made it to Syracuse in one piece, Steve finally relaxed into his train seat, took out his iPad and began working on a sketch for his digital painting class that was due the Monday after break. Five hours was a long enough time to draw a winter landscape.

Steve loved the train and the upstate New York scenery that passed out the window. At this point in the year, the leaves on the trees had officially turned from green to bright reds, oranges, and yellows, many trees already missing their leaves. Steve sketched the landscape outside his window and slowly watched as the upstate farmland turned into the beautiful Hudson Valley. Adding the Hudson River and the rolling hills to his piece, when they pulled into the Poughkeepsie station, Steve was more than satisfied with his work.

After five hours of working nonstop, Steve decided to get up, stretch his legs, and grab a coffee inside the station. His next train wouldn't arrive for another 45 minutes so that was more than enough time to walk to the shopping plaza across the street from the station. With his bags in his hands and his next train time confirmed, Steve crossed the street to the Poughkeepsie shopping center. He made his way towards Starbucks but a new donut shop, Glazed Delight, caught his eye instead. There was a bright red banner in the front window that read, "GRAND OPENING! Come inside and get a free coffee with your order of two or more donuts!" and with an offer like that, who was Steve to turn down a free coffee.

The shop was relatively empty but Steve attested to the fact that it was six at night on a Thursday. He dropped his belongings down at a booth and made his way over to the front counter to place his order and claim his free coffee but before he could do so his breath caught in his throat and the beautiful boy who stood in front of him.

The boy had to be around his age, maybe a year younger at most, definitely a college student. He was a little bit smaller than Steve was and he had the most striking blue eyes that made his heart beat extra fast. Steve was certain he was starring but who could blame him! Steve forgot all about the coffee and donut as he stood before the boy in front of him, took a deep breath, and willed himself not to make a fool of himself while trying to recite his order.


	2. Bucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Bucky, the most adorable food service worker you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting!

James “Bucky” Barnes was a mischievous boy from New York City, Brooklyn to be specific and he loved the borough with his whole heart even if he didn’t spend the majority of his time there. Bucky’s parents were successful in their own right, his mother was a doctor, his father a lawyer, and both were able to provide Bucky and his sister Rebecca with luxuries and privileges they both knew not everyone had access to. Growing up his family spent the school year in Brooklyn where Bucky and Rebecca attended a prestigious private school but their family spent most weekends at their "country home" in Connecticut. They also had a summer home in Los Angeles, California, a ski cottage in Vail, Colorado, and a destination home in Europe where his extended family still lived. Bucky knows he is blessed and he truly is grateful that he grew up with the family he did, however money doesn't buy you happiness, he learned the hard way. Because his parents weren't always around due to their business traveling and high profile jobs, Bucky didn't grow up with such tight knit family values. It's why he found it so easy to sneak out in high school and felt no remorse for breaking his parents rules when they weren't even around half the time to enforce them. It’s also why he had such a hard time getting close to people and revealing his true colors. And it's why he wasn't going home for Thanksgiving break. The city held a special place in his heart but leaving it always made him feel lighter, better, more himself.

It’s honestly surprising that he and Natasha got along so well but nevertheless they did.

Bucky and Natasha have been attached at the hip since freshman year. They lived in the same building on the same floor and hit it off during orientation week. They were now both sophomores at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie choosing to live off campus together in an apartment complex for college students a few minutes down the road from the campus and were loving every second of it.

They had a few drunken hookups when they first got to Vassar, both looking to explore themselves and the college dating scene, but also deciding that they were better off as friends, (and that Bucky definitely was more interested in the other team). They did everything together and as new friends came in and out of their social circle, they always stayed together.

Today was no different. It was November 19th, a Thursday, and Bucky had a busy day ahead of him. He had class at 9:30, Understanding Social Problems, study group at 12, a paper due for his online class at 3:30, and then at 5:00, he would relieve Nat from work at the new donut shop in town. It was currently 8:25 and Bucky woke with a groan. He has been up until four in the morning working on a paper that was due over the Thanksgiving break and counted for 60% of his final grade. Seriously? Who assigned work over break, isn’t that time for everyone to relax, Bucky would never understand. He thought it was better to get started on it early than wait until the last minute to do it, but was most definitely regretting that decision as he got out of bed for class.

Reluctantly, he wiped the sleep from his eyes, stretched his arms above his head, and pulled the comforter off of himself making his way to the bathroom. As he slowly shuffled across the worn in hardwood floor, pajama bottoms covering his feet and his shirt hanging slightly off of his shoulder. He took the hair tie off of his wrist to tie up his hair as he got ready for the day. His boss wasn't too fond of his long hair claiming it would get in the way when he was working on the job but that didn't stop him from trying to grow it out longer and longer every month. On nights that they didn't go to the bars, Bucky's favorite activity was watching a movie with his head in Nat's lap as she ran her fingers through his hair, lightly tugging on it from time to time.

It took Bucky 35 minutes to get his act together and make it out the door. Nat had an eight AM class, bless her soul they are brutal, but without her there to coax him out of bed in the morning it was difficult for him to manage on his own. He gathered his bag with a change of clothes for work just in case he wouldn't be able to make it back, grabbed his keys and was on his way to class. The weather was getting nippy, but thankfully it hadn't started to snow yet. He had on his favorite paperboy cap and a scarf and made his way through the campus towards his desired academic building.

At 9:27 Bucky made it to his lecture hall, plopped down in his unassigned assigned seat and prepared himself for what undoubtedly would be a long morning lecture. He was in his second year at Vassar studying social work with a concentration in mental health care. He always thought that working in a school setting helping younger kids as a school counselor or working with kids in the foster system. He had a great family growing up but that didn't mean he never felt totally isolated because of the lack of his parent's presence. Sure Becca was there but a sibling's love is not the same nurturing one that a parent can provide.

At 9:30 his professor walked into the large lecture hall holding a coffee and a laser pointer signaling to the class that the lesson was about to begin. Bucky pulled out his laptop to feign taking notes while he planned on scrolling through Twitter instead. His professor posted the notes from the lesson on their class page after the lecture anyways and 9:30 was way too early to take notes on social problems in Bucky's opinion. He loved his major, he really did, but he definitely functioned better during classes that started at 11:00 and onward. Twitter was a great distraction however and it made the time in class fly by. Soon enough his professor was assigning their next homework assignment and Bucky was making his way to his study group that was meeting on the quad.

The day dragged on, Thursdays always did, not quite the end of the week and still so many deadlines and meetings to meet but the taste of the weekend right on the tip of your tongue. Bucky was struggling to get through it but something he did look forward to was work. At 4:30 Bucky said goodbye to his study group, packed up his belongings and called an Uber to take him to work. The college life was an expensive one and if Bucky continued to hit the bars as often as he did he definitely needed to work a job. Bucky walked into Glazed Delight to meet Nat working the front counter and helping the last customer in line.

"Hey, hot stuff how was your day today?" Nat exclaimed with a wide smile on her face. "You finally hand in the big paper you had due? I know you have been working on that for what feels like years now, oh and while you're at it go suit up, you can take my last 15 minutes because I need to go take a well deserved nap!"

Bucky just smiled at the red head with a slight shake of his head. Bucky headed to the back and grabbed his apron and baseball cap.

"Well Nat, my morning class was so engaging that I decided the best use of my time would be killing my brain cells scrolling through social media mindlessly while my professor tried to get us, sophomores, to solve all of the world's problems. My study group is falling apart as we speak with our big final proposal coming up for our psych class, and my paper got handed in at 3:29:59, just barely on time."

"You wouldn't have it any other way, Mr. Procrastinator. I really don't know how you live with that kind of stress, maybe that's where the premature grey hair is coming from!"

Nat started to run her fingers through the roots of Bucky's hair playfully but also knowing the sensation was exactly what he needed after a stressful day. Bucky simply swatted her hand with a laugh and put his baseball hat back on his hair while simultaneously tying his hair back into a low bun.

"The last customers just left and it is officially 5:00 so on that note I will see you at home at 8:00. And don't forget to pick up some tacos from that cute place in the corner of Main Street and South!"

And just like that, the store was empty and Nat was walking out into the parking lot. Bucky swept up under some of the booths, straightened the chairs, and made his way behind the front counter where he sat on the stool with his laptop out with reruns of Stranger Things playing on Netflix.

A few customers came in between five and six, all of them getting donuts and coffee to go so the store stayed relatively quiet. It was nights like these that Bucky loved the most, getting the opportunity to make small talk with customers, chat with regulars, (even though they had only been open for two weeks), all while using his shift time to get some work done.

Bucky heard the train whistle from across the street, subconsciously preparing for any train goers that would come in from a long journey from upstate. Being across from the station brought in loads of customers even though they shared the plaza with a Starbucks. A few minutes later after the train had pulled away Bucky saw a figure emerge from the grand doors of the station heading across the street and into the plaza. As he got closer Bucky could see he had three large bags with him but wasn't struggling to carry them in his arms. And his arms. Bucky couldn't look away, especially when he got close enough to read the grand opening sign as a smile spread across his face. Bucky started blushing.

_Oh my gosh this beautiful man is about to enter this store and no one is here oh my gosh I can't believe I'll get to talk to him because he is so --_

His internal rambling mind was cut short when the overhead bell signaled the man's entrance. Now that he was closer Bucky could see that he looked about his age, maybe a year older and he was very tall and very handsome, there was no denying that. His eyes were a bright vibrant blue and his hair was a golden blond and feathered on top of his head. He was beautiful, and Bucky couldn't deny that, but he needed to get his mind sorted. The beautiful man made his way across the store looking between the menu and Bucky and, oh! He was talking to Bucky.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" he said with a nervous chuckle.

"Long day?" The blond in front of him asked. He was towering over the counter and Bucky has never felt smaller, in the best way possible.

"Long would be an understatement. Your order?"

"Oh, I think I'll just get two honey maple donuts and take advantage of the free coffee order."

"Can I get a name for that order?"

"Even though it's just the two of us in here? I'm pretty sure no one else will accidentally take my donuts."

With a glint of confidence in his eye, Bucky puffed out his chest and responded, "Well it is company policy, so a name, or I can just call you pretty boy?"

"Steve", pretty boy let out a huff and a small heart laugh. "But you can call me what you want."

"Pretty boy it is then Steve" and with a wink, Bucky disappeared to prepare his order.


	3. Steve

Steve was going to miss his train. He knew it. But at that moment he didn’t care. He had spent the last 35 minutes chatting to Bucky, his claimed booth long forgotten and now only acting as a holding cell for his many bags of dirty laundry. He found out that his name was Bucky, despite what his name tag read.

"How did you get from James to Bucky? That seems like a drastic difference if you ask me" Steve asked with a smile.

"Well, I'll have you know my middle name is Buchanan, hence, _Bucky_, it's far more fun than James and way more memorable," he said with a slight wink you'd have to be looking at it to see it. And Steve was looking.

"James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes has a nice ring to it."

"Steve Grant Rogers isn't too bad either."

_How did we even get on the topics of full names, this is definitely like a third date kind of conversation and we for sure are not there yet!_ Steve thought silently to himself, staying very focused on Bucky's eyes.

Steve was resting his elbows comfortably on the counter with his chin resting in his hand. The clock was approaching 7:45 and Steve knew if he didn't leave now he probably would stay in Poughkeepsie for the entirety of Thanksgiving break. His eyes kept glancing between the blue eyed boy in front of him and the ticking clock on the wall just beyond him.

"You really should get going, wouldn't want you to get stuck here in little ole' po-town now would we?" Bucky said, tilting his head to the side like an adorable puppy would. Somehow their faces had gotten closer and closer over the past 35 minutes so his comment came out in a whisper.

_At least let me get your phone number._

With a sigh, Steve pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind. He couldn't ask Bucky for his phone number, heck! He met the boy half an hour ago!

With a sigh, Steve pushed himself up off of the counter and let his chin rest against his chest looking down at his shoes very briefly before smiling back at Bucky. "I can think of worse things that could happen."

He walked away from the counter to his abandoned booth and grabbed his bags back in his arms. He checked the watch on his wrist seeing it read 7:41. He really was going to miss this train if he didn't snap into action immediately. He started to make his way to the front door before he was stopped by a smaller body in front of him.

"Uhh I just, I umm thought you might want a few treats for the last leg of your trip home" Bucky stuttered out. Steve swears his heart skipped a beat for how cute the gesture was.

"It's on the house, now go run and get that train pretty boy!"

And just like that, Bucky was back behind the counter and Steve was out the door, glancing over his shoulder only once to see Bucky smiling at him through the glance window, sending him a swat of his hand towards the station where his train was waiting with a silent giggle.

Bucky watched Steve as he ran across the street, just nearly getting hit by an oncoming car. Bucky couldn't help but laugh to himself and try to ignore the tightness in his chest. _That boy managed to woo me in less than 30 minutes, what have I become?_

Watching Steve disappear out of sight, Bucky let out a sigh and sent a quick text to Nat.

_Bucky: Let's go out tonight, I need to go dancing._

Meanwhile, Steve made it on the train as the doors closed tightly behind him.

**********

Steve made it to Brooklyn with no problems. Well, no, there were problems but none of them involved transportation, the only problems he encountered were the ones related to the blue eyed boy he met in Poughkeepsie. He almost missed his subway because he was daydreaming about what it would be like to sit in a park eating donuts and drinking coffee with the boy on a Saturday afternoon as the sun shines down on them, but not keeping them warm enough on their own so they inevitably would have to cuddle together.

So yeah, no problems.

When Steve walked in his front door he let his bags fall to the ground in a heap and he released a heavy sigh that he didn't know he was holding in. Maybe bringing all of his dirty laundry home was a mistake. Regardless, he toed off his shoes and walked further into the apartment. It was the perfect size for his mom. She had downgraded from the grand 4 bedroom 2 bathroom brownstone they previously lived in opting for a smaller, 2 bedroom one bathroom apartment in a quaint neighborhood near a park and a civic center.

"Well with you off at college I don't need such a big space all by myself! Maybe I'll get a furry friend to keep myself company! And besides once you finally graduate you'll be getting your own place, no need for me to keep paying for space we don't even use anymore, someone else will get better use out of it" he can recall his mom saying as they moved her into the new apartment only days before he left for his freshman year.

Steve and his mom, Sarah Rogers, had been two peas in a pod ever since Steve could remember. His dad died when he was very young and he didn't remember much of him, only the fond stories Sarah would share around his birthday and Christmas.

And a furry friend she did get indeed. A small ragdoll cat appropriately named raggy, met him in the kitchen perched up on the windowsill. Tail swinging back and forth before she gracefully left down onto the floor, rubbed up against Steve's legs and made her way out of the room. Steve smiled and watched the cat leave. He continued through the kitchen and over to the refrigerator where he found a note posted from his mom.

_I'm volunteering tonight at the civic center and won't be home until after 11. Pls order dinner from the Italian place on 3rd, my treat! And cue up a movie! Can't wait to see you! xx_

Steve called in their usual order, chicken alfredo for Sarah and chicken parm for himself. It was just after 9:30 so he decided to take a shower and change into some comfy clothes before the food got there. As he made his way over to the bathroom, the little brown bag with the Glazed Delight logo caught his eye. He didn't look to see what Bucky had given him, too busy trying not to miss his train and all.

He looked inside the bag to find five donuts and a note.

_I gave you 2 honey maple because you liked them so much ;) Also threw in my favorites! Nutella, traditional glazed, and lavender! Enjoy pretty boy!_

Steve stared at the note. First, when did Bucky even have time to write this and two, his handwriting was so pretty, if Steve posted the note on his wall and called it "art" then no one needed to know.

The smile on his face grew even wider as he took the bag from his pile on the floor and brought it back into the kitchen, laying the donuts out carefully on a plate and putting them in the refrigerator to keep until his mom came home.

He checked the time to see that if he wanted to take a shower before the food got there, he would need to be speedy and with that he made a mad dash for the bathroom.

45 minutes later, Steve had showered, changed, and had now enjoyed half of his chicken parm on the couch with the TV playing something on HGTV in the background. His mom would probably be back in around 20 minutes so he went to turn on the oven and put her dinner into heat, the least he could do was make sure she had a nice warm meal to come home to. He packed up the rest of his dinner, saving the rest for tomorrow and smiled at the donuts when he saw them in the fridge.

What a weird day he thought to himself. That morning he was in Ithaca, he met a beautiful boy who gave him free donuts in Poughkeepsie and who almost made him miss his train, and now he was in Brooklyn still thinking about that boy. He couldn't understand why he was so hung upon him. He probably would never see him again, for Pete's sake they talked like old friends for nearly 30 minutes, talking about everything from middle names to their favorite movies, _"you mean to tell me you haven't seen the new Star Wars movie yet?" "No, I don't want to tarnish my love for the original series with whatever it is Disney is putting out now!" "Dude, you have got it all WRONG you need to watch them! The newest one is coming out this Christmas!"_ And they didn't even exchange phone numbers!

Making his way back to the couch and queuing up the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special, a favorite of his, he tried to shake the boy from his thoughts.

_Like you said, you'll probably never see him again..._

And that's how Sarah Rogers found her son 30 minutes later, the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special ready to go and her son sprawled out on the couch, hair lightly fanned out across his forehead and a blanket wrapped tightly around him. She pressed a light kiss to his forehead, brushing his hair back and turned off the lights as she walked through the apartment. She shook her head ever so slightly when she saw the oven was on, _Steve you can't sleep while the oven is on!_ She'd bring it up tomorrow, but for now smiled at her son sleeping on the couch in the living room, quickly eating her dinner and heading to her room for a good night's rest.


	4. Bucky

_“Let's go out tonight, I need to go dancing”_

**************

As soon as the clock struck eight, Bucky closed up shop and practically ran home. He burst in the door to be greeted by Nat lounging on the couch with the Office playing on their TV while she typed away on her laptop.

"Up! Let's go! Get in the shower, put on your best dancing shoes, we are hitting the bar tonight!"

"Bucky, why, we went out on Tuesday, and we have Clint's frat drink up tomorrow night can't we just take the night off, watch a movie? We can even order from your favorite Chinese food place. I'm begging you!"

"Nope, Nat this is non-negotiable today was the longest day of my life and work was even weirder so we have to erase it from existence with good drinks and even better dancing. UP!" Bucky yelled over his shoulder after throwing his bag down and running into his bedroom, leaving the door open so he could continue to coerce Nat out of her couch cocoon.

"My wallet and my fake ID are crying at the sheer amount of use they've experienced this week."

"That's why we have jobs! And as for your fake, 22-year-old Nat is way more fun than 19-year-old Nat so let's go!"

At this point, Bucky was yelling to Nat from his bedroom, clothes flying out of his closet and he tried to find his favorite jeans and Nat was groaning from under her perch on the couch. She could never say no to Bucky and tonight was no different. She mentally prepared and slowly unwound herself from her blankets.

"First, that hurt, second, 22-year-old Nat will kick your ass, third, give me 45 minutes and I'll be ready you dork". Bucky's only response was a manly squeal and a yell to their Alexa to "Play Dancing Queen!".

And that's how they ended up going out for a classic thirsty Thursday. Bucky may have had one (or four) too many but Nat wouldn't bring it up until tomorrow morning. This always happened, Bucky wants to go out and Nat is left to help his ass home at the end of the night.

“Okay, okay, OKAY. We’re done, you have been officially cut off Bucky boy. Up, we’re leaving” Natasha drunkenly grumbled as she hoisted Bucky’s limp arm over her shoulders.

"But where's Steeeb?" Bucky slurred while his head lulled to the side resting lightly on Nat's shoulder.

"Oh, Steve, who is this Steve we speak of? Was that the cute boy who bought you your fifth drink at the bar?" Nat questioned with a snort as she pulled Bucky up out of the booth and they started to walk towards the door.

"Nooo, Steve is from donuts".

At this point, Nat was just trying to get Bucky on his feet and walking enough on his own that they wouldn't tip off the bouncers at just how drunk they were. After some struggling and rough pulling, they finally made it outside into the cool fall night air.

"Hmm, Steve from donuts, I'll be sure to bring this up tomorrow while you're hungover and vulnerable."

"Hmmm" was the only grumble that came out of Bucky's throat as Nat pushed him into the cab, paid both of their covers and told the driver their address.

Nat was gently running her fingers through Bucky's hair where his head rested face down in her lap. She swears to god if he throws up on her he will never hear the end of it, (and it definitely wouldn't be the first time and probability wouldn't be the last). It wasn't that Nat didn't like going out with Bucky, it usually was the highlight of her week, however, the clean up was something that got old from time to time.

Nat and Bucky were best friends, have been since freshman orientation and have stuck by each other since day one. But Nat knew when Bucky was about to go on a bender. Spontaneous nights like this usually happened when Bucky was stressed, overwhelmed, or utterly confused and wanted to forget everything for the night. So when Bucky out of nowhere dropped this "Steve" name, Nat was starting to connect all the dots. Friends and boyfriends have cycled in and out of their lives for the past two years and Bucky didn't necessarily have the greatest coping mechanism, (Nat claims that is a direct result of his not so stable family life growing up, but she wasn't the social work major so it really was just an assumption and a strong one at that). Nat wanted to be there for Bucky, and she knew she always would be, but these weekly benders were really starting to take a toll on her.

When the cab finally stopped in front of their apartment, Nat gently nudged Bucky's sleeping frame and helped him out of the cab and into their building. At this point, the alcohol was really taking its toll on Bucky and he was more or less walking while asleep. With his arm around her shoulders and her arm around his waist, Nat shuffled them out of the elevator, to their door and eventually, they made it to Bucky's room. Bucky was asleep, in a deep dead sleep, such a deep sleep Nat had to check his pulse just to make sure he hadn't actually died on her.  
With his shirt, pants, and shoes off she pulled the covers up to his chin and quietly walked out of his room.

"No. Cuddle"

"Are you telling me you've been awake this whole time?"

"Hmm, I didn't wanna do it and you're too nice to me."

"Ha Ha. You've got that right" she responded dryly. She took her shoes and pants off herself and slipped into bed cuddling up close to Bucky.

"You're ridiculous you know that right?"

"Yeah, but you're stuck with me."

**********

Bucky's life growing up wasn't anything out of the ordinary for his circumstances. His father, George Barnes, came from a wealthy family, had inherited his fathers law firm, and saying he was financially comfortable would be an understatement. Similarly, his mother Winnifred Barnes was fairly well off far before meeting her future husband and even more so after she finished medical school and became a neurosurgeon. The two met in the '80s at a high society gala and hit it off, both falling in love resulting in a beautiful relationship turned marriage turned happily family consisting of James and Rebecca.

Bucky and Rebecca have been the best of friends from the start. The pair growing up spent more time together and with nannies than with their parents so they learned to stick to each other like glue. Their parents weren't bad, just unavailable, physically and emotionally. It came with the nature of their lifestyle Bucky came to realize as he got older.

Their parents worked hard so Bucky and Becca didn't have to but after the 7th missed birthday and month long business trips, it started to feel like family bonding time consisted of Bucky, Becca, and whichever au pair their parents had picked for that year, (Sophie from Scotland was their favorite growing up because when they were 11 and 12 she snuck them into a PG-13 movie and bought them whatever snacks they wanted from the concession stand). Bucky wouldn't say that his childhood was bad or lacking, he knew his parents loved him, it was just isolating and helped to contribute to his mild, (maybe not so mild), "mommy and daddy issues".

When Bucky came out as gay the first person he told was Nat. It was freshman year, Nat had gone out to the bar and Bucky just wasn't feeling it. As soon as she got home, he was waiting for her on her bed in her dorm room and just burst out, "Nat, I'm gay". He couldn't have asked for a better response.

"Well thank God because I wasn't sure how to put you down lightly that I just don't like you that way."

They both laughed about their previous hookups and started talking about how cute the boy who sat in front of them in their math class was.

The second person he called was Becca. Becca is a year younger than Bucky and was still in high school at the time. Her response was almost as blunt but perfect as Nats.

"Ok great Bucky, no offense kind of had a hunch since growing up you only ever pointed out the cute boys when we looked at magazines. Now I gotta go finish my common applications if I want to get into a better college than you."

If he couldn't have the undivided attention of his parents, at least he could have the undivided love and attention from his two best friends.

When the time came for Becca to choose a college to go to Nat and Bucky both silently prayed that she would choose Vassar. But Becca was smart, way smarter than Bucky ever would be and he knew she applied to the school as a safety, and as a way to humor Bucky.

"I've got to be better at you at something" was her only response when she crossed Vassar off her list of schools. It wasn't like he didn't see this coming. She got into three Ivy League schools for crying out loud! So when it came down to making her decision, Columbia was "too close to home", Brown was "too crunchy" but Cornell was "just right!".

Flash forward to today, Bucky's best friends were still Nat and Becca and he wouldn't want it any other way. The three of them get along so well, Nat having spent Christmas with them the previous year made them almost inseparable. So that's what led the three of them to spending Thanksgiving in Bucky and Nat's college apartment in Poughkeepsie.

**********

Bucky woke up with a groan, a wiggle of his toes, and Nat plastered to his back. He felt gross from the night before and could feel a pounding headache developing in his frontal lobe.

The night before was hazy in his mind but he thinks as the day goes on he'll definitely remember the majority of the evening's events, at least the major important parts. He remembers getting into the bar with no problems. He was friends with the bounder, a senior from a nearby college who was a regular at the donut shop. They talked, Bucky gave him a free donut every now and again in exchange that Bucky would always get into the bar without a hitch.

The night was fun, as usual. Nat danced with the cute boy from her consumer marketing class who she has been talking to since last year. She was undecided and honestly had no idea what she wanted to major in but was taking classes that went towards poli-sci, international business, and information technology, (Bucky was convinced she would work for the CIA, the FBI, or the government in some capacity).

Bucky thought the boy from her class was cute but honestly was more interested in her friend Clint. Bucky was convinced they were meant for each other. Bucky introduced the two of them the year prior after taking a class with Clint. He was perfect for Nat but they both claimed they were just friends, (their drunken hookups convinced Bucky otherwise but he would keep his comments to himself for a later date).

Bucky continued to wiggle and stretch until he heard a little moan from behind him.

"Stop moving."

"Stop talking."

"Bucky, I swear to God, after the night you put me through, the least you could do is let me sleep in."

"You're lucky we have Fridays off, but we do have work and Becca's train gets in at 8:30 tonight so we need to get ready at some point before them. Can you promise to be awake and ready at 2:00?" Bucky asked as he sat up and swung his legs sideways and out of bed.

Natasha just groaned in response as the blankets were lifted off of her body and the warmth radiating off of Bucky's body disappeared.

"It's 11:30 so sleep now and I'll be back in a couple of hours to drag you out of your slumber my queen."

"It's the least you could do" Natasha sleepily mumbled into the pillow as she rolled onto her stomach and starfished her limbs out onto the bed.

Bucky chuckled, took out his phone and posted a picture of Nat to his Snapchat story with the caption, "Sleeping Beauty."

Thanksgiving wasn't a big holiday in the Barnes household. His parents were both children of immigrants from Europe, Romania to be exact, so they never celebrated the holiday growing up and never made it a part of their kids lives growing up. His parents were often on business trips so it wasn't something they were used to. Nat's family also never celebrated the holiday growing up, but that's pretty much all that Bucky knew about her family, she wasn't one to share a lot of details.

Seeing as their parents would be away and it was Becca's first real break from College it only made sense that Bucky and Nat host her in their apartment for the week long break. She would go back to Cornell the following Saturday.

Bucky pulled on some sweatpants and a sweatshirt slipped his feet into his slippers and shuffled into the living room. He opened the blinds, turned on the TV and made his way into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. He slowly watched the coffee pour out from the Keurig and into his "Namastay in Bed" mug that Becca had got him as a gag gift the year before.

He let his mind wander and sure enough, the night before is slowly coming back to him, the dancing, the drinks, his drunken mumbling about Steve.

Oh.

Right.

Steve.

Bucky can remember Steve's name slipping from his lips the night before. And wow, wouldn't that be a fun story to explain to Nat later in the day. Shaking his head he willed the thought of Steve's tall stature and muscular physique out of his head. One, it was way too early for thoughts like these and two, it was unlikely that he would ever see the boy again so why waste his time fantasizing about him.

Begging the thoughts of Steve to disappear, Bucky grabbed a pad of paper and a pen out of their junk drawer and picked his coffee cup from the counter and made his way over to the couch. He made a list of things they needed to do before Becca got here that night.

_Pick up Thanksgiving foods from the store, clean the house, go to work, order in food, pick Becca up. _

Shouldn't be too hard. Bucky settled on the couch and watched the rest of his episode of The Crown before he decided to get ready for the day with a shower and the unpleasant task of waking up the sleeping beauty herself.


	5. Steve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ooo things are starting to pick up! My thought process was to have these first five chapters really established our boys are where they're coming from and from this point on the story will totally be plot driven!

"Ok so I think that's everything, we have potatoes, stuffing, turkey, oh and we can't forget about cranberry sauce!"

Sarah and Steve Rogers were at the fresh market around the corner from their Brooklyn brownstone the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, picking up just enough food for the two of them for their Thanksgiving feast. This is how it went every year for as long as Steve could remember. All major holidays and celebrations spent with his mom in their apartment cuddled up on the couch, watching movies, and playing games. His mother wandered the isles mumbling under her breath about everything they needed to pick up while simultaneously crossing things off of her list as their cart got fuller and fuller. Steve trailed behind her slowly, not entirely sure why he decided to come with her this morning. It was barely nine in the morning and he was dressed, out of bed, and grocery shopping.

Steve kept looking down at his phone, hoping that there would be a text from Tony. Steve texted him as soon as he and his mother left their apartment that morning asking if they two could get lunch, go to a movie, anything to entertain his boredom. He had been home all of four days and he was already becoming stir crazy. This wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Steve was always a mischievous child growing up, looking for trouble. Although he wasn't the biggest, strongest, or healthiest before he hit his growth spurt freshman year of high school. Steve was always getting into fights and more often than not found himself to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but Steve never seemed to mind. He liked looking out for the little guy even if he was the little guy on more than one occasion.

Tony always seemed to be able to entertain Steve with new gadgets and gizmos, a blessing for Sarah. As Tony and Steve became better and better friends the principal's office calls got farther a fewer between and the bruising on Steves once smaller frail body appeared less and less. Tony kept Steve out of trouble, physical trouble that is. That wasn't to go without saying that Tony and Steve didn't get into trouble their own way. When they were sophomores in high school Tony printed them a couple of fake ID's and they paraded the little pieces of plastic all around the island of Manhattan. They weren't always successful especially considering their baby faces, but they got to know bouncers and it also helped that Tony was a Stark in New York City. The two were attached at the hip through it all and Steve didn't know where he would be without a friend like Tony.

Speak of the devil.

Tony's ringtone pulled Steve out of his thoughts as he continued to aimlessly snake his way through the isles of the market following his mother.

"Steve, I thought you'd never answer!"

"Tony, it was two rings."

"Alas, you kept me waiting! Anyways, details, Rhodey and I are grabbing lunch in 15 in Soho, you joining?"

"I'm still in Brooklyn with Ma right now but I can hop of the 4 and meet you at Bleaker in 30, that sound good?"

"Great my man, see you."

And with that Tony hung up.

Rhodey has been Tony's roommate at Columbia since his freshman year and the two became inseparable. Rhodey is from Texas and has spent every Thanksgiving since freshman year with the Stark family. He and Steve hit it off when Tony first introduced them. Steve was looking forward to seeing him again and hearing all about the antics that he and Tony got up to this past semester.

"Mom I'm gonna head out and grab some lunch with Tones but I'll be back far before dinner and earlier enough to help with preparations for Thursday" Steve rushed out and he caught up with his mom in the store.

"Oh please, go have fun and tell Tony I say hello!"

With that Steve ran out the door and hightailed it to the nearest subway station. Sarah smiled fondly as her son ran through traffic and disappeared around the street corner. She was so proud of the young man he had become regardless of the hardship the two of them had faced while he was growing up. Steve's father, Joseph, just wasn't around when Steve was little. He was unavailable when it came to child support, visiting, or anything to do with the small boy. Sarah hadn't heard from him in over a decade and honestly still wondered if the man was alive. But none of that mattered, she and Steve had each other. She may have had to work long hours and overtime to put food on their table but that didn't mean she loved Steve any less. When they found out Steve had gotten into Cornell on a hefty athletic scholarship for lacrosses the pair couldn't have been more elated. Not only would her son be going to a fabulous school, but with the proper budgeting, she would actually be able to afford it. All she wanted in life was to provide for her family and as her son grew older, she finally felt like she could do that.

A smile spread over Sarah's face as she collected the last few items she needed, paid, and started her walk home to get ready for their small family feast.

**********

"And then, dude you won't even believe this, then he stripped down to the tiny decorative thong he stole from the girl's dorm room and streaked across the quad and finally ended up drunkenly rolling down the library steps, oh Steve I've got to show you this video" Rhodey wheezed out.

The two of them were sharing a laugh, both wiping their eyes as tears threatened to spill out of the corners from laughing so hard. Rhodey had an endless amount of stories to share about Tony and his drunken wandering he'd been doing on the upper east side this past semester.

Clutching his stomach and wiping his eyes, Steve looked in Tony's direction to see the brown haired man scowling while also trying to hold back his own laugh.

"I'll have you know, Pepper thought I looked dazzling in that thong, her words not mine."

"So, this Pepper you speak of? Is this getting serious or -"

"Oh it is VERY serious I'll have you know -" Rhodey piped in.

"Ok enough! That's enough about me, Steve please, share your own anecdotes and adventures."

"Yeah, any ladies of your own thong wearing variety Stevo?"

And, w_hat the hell, here goes nothing_, Steve thinks to himself.

"Well there is this, one person, Bucky," he says and his voice lingers in the air for a few moments.

"Hmm, an interesting name for a lady, but to each their own," Tony says as he cocks his eyebrow.

"Oh well, Bucky is a _he_ and his real name is James, coincidentally" Steve added with a quick, playful glance in Rhodey's direction.

"I met him when I was taking the train down from Cornell, he works in a donut shop in Poughkeepsie and he gave me some donuts for the road and there was just something about him I couldn't keep my eyes off of him, he was captivating. And might I add, so easy to talk to. I think he goes to school in the area I vaguely remember him mentioning Vassar but I honestly couldn't remember, all I can think of were his eyes and his laugh" Steve trailed off.

He looked up from where his gaze had unsurprisingly landed in his lap. Rhodey was looking at him with a small smile spread across his lips and Tony was tapping away at his phone.

"Ah, here we are! James "Bucky" Barnes, oh his parents are of high society and class of some variety, maybe my parents have met his, he's from the area! He's a sophomore at Vassar and has an awful lot of photos with this red headed chick tagged as "Nat_Widdow" but we will assume not a relationship until more details arise!" Tony proclaims triumphantly. 

Steve just stares back at him with a blank stare.

"Oh please, do not tell me you haven't looked him up yet. You've been home for four whole days!"

Again, a blank stare.

"Alright, that's it," Tony mutters and with a few more taps, he was soon shoving the phone into Steve's face.

"Well? DM him!"

"Tony are you kidding?! I barely even know him! We spoke one time for like, 35 minutes!" Steve rushed out, the tips of his ears tinting pink. 

"Even better of an excuse to DM him! If he doesn't answer, his loss, if he does, see where it goes. And worst case scenario if things go to shit then just never stop at his donut shop!"

"I really like those donuts though."

"Steve, please humor me, just fucking DM him."

With a sigh and a small, nervous chuckle, Steve took the phone from Tony and opened his account to Bucky's profile and clicked on the DM button. When has Tony ever been wrong anyways...? 

Many, MANY times.

"Here goes nothing..."

_Steve.Rogers: Hey_


	6. Bucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I did say it was going to be a sloooooow burn!

Thanksgiving and all of its festivities came and went, the feasting, the thanks-giving, and don’t forget the shopping. After a haphazardly thrown together feast of turkey sandwiches, mashed potatoes, box stuffing, and store bought apple pie, Bucky, Nat, and Becca called an Uber to take them over to the mall so they could participate in the early Black Friday shopping shenanigans. 

They all hauled respectively, Nat bought some new shoes and shirts to enhance her already hefty bar wardrobe. Becca buying the same sort of essentials along with a new speaker for pre-games and a new camera for her photography hobby she’s had her eyes on for the last few years. And Bucky got a new AppleWatch and a new pair of shoes to replace his old beat up ones. 

“I can’t believe how much I got, honestly such deals we should make this an every year tradition!” 

“Becca, you know you’re my favorite Barnes, you are always welcome here.” 

“You both know I’m right here, right? Or am I invisible to you?” 

“Becca, did you hear something, I think I’m hearing background noise.”

This is what Bucky craved, his family all together, sitting around hanging out and just bonding and spending time together. With a smile spreading across his face he slowly lifted himself off of the couch, playfully pushing Nat and Becca each and made his way into his room to get his phone. 

Between getting Becca settled for her stay, helping Nat clean the apartment, and preparing for their tiny Thanksgiving for three, the message from a mister _Steve.Rogers_ hadn't gone unnoticed. 

But it had certainly thrown Bucky off kilter. 

Steve had messaged him on Tuesday afternoon and Bucky had left the message unopened since then. It was currently Friday afternoon and after looking at the message in his DM’s folder every day since, he still had no idea how to respond. It’s not like Steve had said much anyways, _“Hey”_ was a pretty basic and vague way to start a conversation if you ask Bucky. 

He hadn't even mentioned it to Nat, let alone Becca, knowing that was a can of worms he's not sure he's ready to open yet. Hell, he and Nat hadn’t even discussed the night at the bar yet! Bucky was flustered for many different reasons, the cause all leading back to the same blond haired man from the donut shop. 

With a sigh Bucky pocketed his phone from his charging station and made his way back out to the living room to sit with the girls. Becca would be leaving the next morning and Bucky had a shift at work and he wanted to spend as much time as possible just the three of them without distractions because who knew when they would have a luxury like this again. 

“I hope you two aren’t talking too much shit about me” Bucky said with a laugh as he plopped down on the couch between the two girls who were previously huddled together laughing and whispering under their breath, no doubt about Bucky. 

“Oh you know, just planning our Poughkeepsie domination, not sure how that will work with me in Ithaca but I have faith I’ll find a way” Becca said, pushing up from the couch, playfully puffing her chest out. 

Nat laughed on his other side, continuing to add commentary about their city wide domination but the words were going in one ear and out the other. Bucky was just staring at Becca. How had he missed it! 

“Oh my gosh, you go to Cornell.” 

“Um yeah Bucket, where have you been for the last 6 months? Hello, brain? Are you plugged in in there?” Becca knocked against the side of Bucky’s head. 

“You go to Cornell” is all Bucky said in response, staring blankly at Becca. 

“Is there a problem with the fact that I go to Cornell? Do you know something I don’t?” 

Nat chimed in with a gasp and a laugh, “Oh my gosh, is your nickname for him Bucket? I am so stealing that Becca, so sorry.”

“Now is not the time Nat, I think he’s broken! Earth to Bucky, what the hell is wrong with Cornell?” 

Shaking head and refocusing his eyes Bucky took a steadying breath and thought, _oh well, I guess it's time to open that can of worms. _

“Steve goes to Cornell.” 

At the same time Nat and Becca spoke, “Who the hell is Steve.” “Oh shit I thought you were never going to mention him!” 

“Ok Becca to make a long story short, I was working one day and this beautiful guys came in from the train station while he waited for his connection, his name is Steve and we got to talking and he told me he goes to Cornell and --” 

“And Bucky hasn’t stopped thinking about him for a week! And was drunk mumbling his name at the bar last Thursday” Nat interrupted. 

“I really thought I was going to have to forget all about it considering you never brought him back up but I’m so thrilled were talking about him now” 

“Ok anyways,” Bucky continued, ignoring Nat altogether, “I really thought the whole situation was going to blow over like, I see a cute guy working one day and never see him again you know? But he DM'd me” Bucky didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence before both girls were off the couch and yelling in front of him.

“He DM'd you?!” 

“Ok, pump the breaks let me finish” 

“Did you at least respond?!” 

“Well, no.”

“_Bucky!_” 

At this point both girls were yelling at him about how stupid he was and that this was obviously a sign, (or at least a booty call!), and Bucky needed to respond _now_. 

“I can’t answer him now! It’s been three days, that’ll look so stupid.”

Becca spoke this time, “Bucket, please, the only thing that will look stupid is you, when I shove your phone up your ass.” 

Ok, ouch. Bucky looked at both the girls before him, now clearly invested in his business, (or nonexistence businesses) with Steve. He really thought they were going to back him up and agree with him that the whole situation was bizarre and strange and why would a guy who met Bucky once in a donut shop of all places message him days later? 

Boy was he wrong. 

“Fine, I’ll message him, but later, I swear.” 

Seeming to believe him, both girls sat back down, flanking Bucky and reutinging their attention back to the TV and the show they were watching. Bucky tried to give his attention to the TV and the small talk the girls were having but honestly couldn't stop thinking about how he was going to respond to Steve. 

**********

Bucky never did end up responding to Steve. Instead, he spent the rest of the day cuddled up on the couch with Nat and Becca watching old movies and talking about everything under the sun, completely ignoring the _“Hey”_ sized whole burning in his pocket. 

Now it was Saturday morning and Bucky and Becca were sharing an Uber to the Poughkeepsie shopping center where Becca planned on spending the next hour and a half at the donut shop before her train was scheduled to take her back to Ithaca. Nat was still sleeping when they left, but grumbled a sleepy goodbye to Becca and a promise to be awake by 1 to relieve Bucky of his shift. 

Bucky opened the store, wiped down the counters, made Becca a coffee and settled in on his stool behind the register willing himself to wake up for the customers that undoubtedly would be flowing into the store soon. After about an hour of making small conversation with patrons and Becca, the overhead bell signalled a new customer had walked into the shop. Turning his head away from Becca and towards the door, Bucky lost his breath. Because who was standing in the doorway none other than Steve. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH! SO EXCITING! The next chapter is already half was written so look out for it sooooon! I'm going on vacation this week so if there is no post until next Friday, Saturday, or Sunday that is why!! <3


	7. Steve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> welcome back! I really hope you guys enjoy and look out for the next chapter it is currently being written stayed tuned!

Thanksgiving break is something Steve will always cherish. It’s time off to spend with his mom, who he admittingly does not see enough of, and take a much needed break to sit on the couch and watch cheesy rom-coms before school is knocking on his back door again. Finals are right around the corner, and with the added stress of moving soon Steve definitely appreciated the break this year. 

Now, back on the train, making his mental notes for the things that need to get done in the next month before they're sent packing for winter break, he finds his mind wandering to a certain brown haired boy who works in a donut shop. As the stop gets closer and closer to Poguhkeepsie, Steve finds himself unable to focus on his list and puts his notebook away altogether, opting to look out the window and enjoy the scenery instead. There are about 25 minutes into their journey and the gentle pace of the train quickly lulls Steve into a state of half sleep, half awareness. 

Soon enough, this sleep is interrupted by the conductor announcing they have arrived in Poughkeepsie and Steve is collecting his bags and disembarking from the train. He checks to see when his next train is leaving and what track in the station he’ll need to head to. 

27 minutes. Plenty of time. 

And that's how Steve finds himself crossing the street to Glazed Delight silently praying that Bucky is working. He quickly opens the door and pulls it closed behind him, attempting to keep the cold air out and the hot air in. Much to his delight, he can see the younger boy perched on his stool behind the register with another girl who looks strikingly similar to him, but also vaguely familiar. He makes his way over to the counter, where he can see a blush slowly start to creep across the younger boy's features as he attempts to discreetly elbow the girl in the ribs. 

Here goes nothing. 

“Hi, I’ve heard the donuts here are pretty good, especially when they come with a hand written note.” Success, the tips of Bucky’s ears were now a delightful crimson color and it made Steve’s heart flutter. 

“Hi Steve.” 

“You never messaged me back” and shit, Steve definitely could have thought of a better way to approach this situation. 

Bucky’s cheeks flushed a bright pink color and he looked down at the counter, becoming very invested in the paper tapped there outlining different cash register commands. 

“Umm, well, you see, with the holidays happening the week was just so crazy I wasn’t really on my phone all that much and I didn’t see your message until only yesterday, umm” Bucky stuttered out quickly as if he was trying to reassure Steve in a way. “But I’m happy to see you here today” Bucky tacked on at the end, Steve almost didn’t hear it. He was also 100% positive he was also blushing now. 

Steve's smile grew in response to Bucky’s stuttering response, he's absolutely positive he looked like the Cheshire Cat at this point. He turned to give attention to the girl beside Bucky and immediately knew exactly where he knew her from. 

“Rebecca is it? You’re in art club at Cornell! I remember you from the first meeting!” 

“Yes, no way, oh my gosh what a small world! Please call me Becca!” Becca was positively beaming, he gaze bouncing between Steve and Bucky. 

Out of the corner of his eye he can see Bucky’s eyes widen and a small wince runs through his body but he quickly recovers in favor of sitting up straighter on his stool to join their conversation.

Becca is speaking a mile a minute, her eyes are absolutely shining and there seems to be a hint of mischief in them, “Steve, are you on the next train headed back to Ithaca? We should definitely sit together. I have so many ideas for next semester's art club convention. I'd absolutely love to talk about them!” 

“Really? That would actually be really helpful. I haven't even had a chance to think about next semester yet and the board is really harping on me to get the ball rolling.” 

“As much as I want to continue to hear you guys talk about art and whatever you guys get up to in art club, your train is leaving in like, 7 minuets? Want me to put together a box of a dozen for you guys to share?” 

“Oh Bucket, what would I do without you?” Becca wails sarcastically, causing Steve to laugh and Bucky to roll his eyes. 

Bucky hops off his stool and walks to the back wall where the donuts are displayed and starts pulling a variety of different flavors and colors into the box at a rapid pace. Becca is still talking about art club and finals coming up at Cornell soon but Steve is barely listening, choosing rather to watch Bucky as he puts together their box. 

Steve is entranced. Bucky is beautiful and Steve can’t stop staring at him. He’s positive that he's being painfully obvious, and if he is, Becca is kind enough to leave him alone in his little world as he watches Bucky from the counter. 

_ Is this even normal? I’ve only ever seen him once in person, I’m obsessing over a guy I’ve met once… okay.  _

Steve has just never met someone like Bucky before. Easy to talk to, easy to look at, nice, hardworking, kind, and that's just what Steve can gather after speaking to him once at their first meeting. He’s reacting like he has known Bucky for years and knows everything about him, but it’s just so easy. Bucky is so easy to be around and Steve has never felt so comfortable with another person before. 

He’s daydreaming, staring at Bucky, so lost in his head that the only thing that snaps him out of it is the box dropping on the counter and a hand waving in front of his face. Steve shakes his head and looks to see Bucky is now giggling at him and pushing that box towards him.

“Alrighty Lady and Gentleman, a dozen donuts for your journey upstate, provided by yours truly!” 

“Again, Bucket, what would I do without you” Becca hops off her own stool, throws her arms around her brother and gives him a happy squeeze. 

“I just have to use the bathroom and then I’ll be ready to go Steve!” 

Ah, alone together. Steve is absolutely positive that Becca has ulterior motives and they will most certainly be discussing them on the train, no doubt. 

The two boys stand in silence until the bathroom door has closed all the way and Steve turns his body to look back at Bucky. 

“Hi”

“Hi again”

Steve cleared his throat, and dragged a hand along the back of his neck, “I, uh, I’m really glad I got to see you today.” He internally winced, oh why was it so hard to think of literally anything to say when it came to talking to Bucky. 

“You too, I was hoping you'd stop by. I’m secretly really glad Becca has someone to take the train with, but don’t tell her I said that.” 

“Oh don’t worry, that’ll be our little secret” Steve says with a laugh and a bright smile spread across Bucky’s face. 

“I’d really love to see you again, or even if you just happen to find yourself in the area, um, Poughkeepsie isn’t too razzle dazzle so not sure why you’d even want to come here unless it was on your way home but, um, you know…” Bucky’s ramble came to an abrupt end as he shoved a piece of paper into Steve's hand. 

“You did mention the donuts are good, especially with a handwritten note.”

Now it was Steve's turn to smile, tucking the note away in the safety of his coat pocket. 

He opened his mouth to respond but before he could make a sound the bathroom door swung back open and Becca, with drill sergeant-like precision, was gathering her belongings and shuffling them out the door. 

“So sorry to cut this little love fest short but if we’re going to make this train we have to get moving” Becca was smacking a kiss on Bucky’s cheek, promising to text and call as soon as she made it back to her dorm and grabbing Steve’s wrist and dragging him out the door

Both the boys were giggling and laughing now, Steve picked up the donut box, gave Bucky a small head tilt and a smile and followed Becca out the door. 

**********

“Ok so now onto operation, Get Bucky and Steve to date.” 

That definitely made Steve choke on his donut. 

They were about halfway through their journey back to Ithaca and Steve and Becca had hit it off. They talked about Becca’s first semester, her classes, what dorm she was living in, and Steve had shared stories about his freshman year and all of the antics that he had gotten up to. He already knew, Bucky’s sister or not, he was going to make sure that Becca was well taken care of at Cornell. He absolutely had a soft spot forming for her. 

They spent a great chunk of time talking about art club and the upcoming club convention and Becca really did have a lot of ideas.

“I’m going to send you an application for the board, we definitely need bright thinkers because believe me we have been deliberating for months about what we should do and no one could come up with anything close to this!”

Becca had suggested that their theme for the convention be, _“Our Art, an exposé on the lives of those around us”_, it was profound and an easy way for everyone in the club to get involved and passionate about the convention. 

But now, there had been a lull in the conversation and Becca wasted no time jumping right to the point. 

“Oh please, if you wanted to be subtle, you should have starred less.”

Steve knew that was true. 

“Ok, so what does this operation entail?” 

“Well, you should text him first of all, I can give you his snapchat if you don’t already have it, and I know you’ve followed him on Instagram so find some memes and start sending them! Just start talking to him, he's a chatty cathy when he wants to be.” 

“Ok great, so are you also going to give me his phone number?” 

“Steve, you are so dense, do you really think the note he gave you was an actual note? There’s the phone number, now start texting!” 

Oh, right. Steve hadn’t forgotten about the note, but he definitely didn’t think Bucky would have just given his phone number if Steve hadn’t asked for it. The thought made his heart flutter, _maybe Bucky was just as interested as he was… _

He pulled the piece of paper out of his pocket and carefully unfolded it. His number was written across the top in beautiful penmanship he recognized along with a little note. 

_ This time I promise I’ll respond :)  _

And if that didn’t make his heart flutter, well, nothing else would. 

Steve turned back to Becca, his smile was being married on her face as he asked, “Ok so what should I say?” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooooo thank god for Becca, who knows what Steve would have done without her!


	8. Bucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> omg are things... getting... spicy...?

Bucky let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as the door to the shop closed behind Becca and Steve and he watched them run across the street in an effort to catch their train on time. 

Bucky had given Steve his phone number, and if he turned the ringer on his phone all the way up to make sure he didn't miss a single notification then oh well. And for the rest of the day Bucky had a smile on his face he just couldn’t shake. After Steve and Becca left the shop, the morning rush of customers slowed down and every now and again people popped in, but it was pretty quiet for the rest of his shift. Bucky played on his phone, pleading with the universe that Steve would message him soon. 

With a huff, Bucky pushed up from the counter and hopped off his stool deciding that sitting around and thinking wasn’t going to do anything positive for him and grabbed the broom by the door and swept around the tables. He did this about 4 more times, sweeping, sulking, sweeping, sulking, sweeping, sulking, until finally the clock struck 1 and Nat walking into the shop to start her shift. 

Bucky, of course, filled her in on the eventful morning he had, her only response being, “Of course I have to miss all the fun”. 

They playfully argued back and forth for about 30 more minutes before Bucky said his goodbyes and made his way back home to prepare for the end of semester rush that was right around the corner.

**************

To be fair, he was right that the end of the semester was going to be a rush. With only 3 weeks left in the semester Bucky was juggling 5 final projects, papers, and presentations, work, his families upcoming winter European getaway, and Steve. 

The same day that he gave Steve his phone number in the donut shop, Steve sent him a meme about donuts and the two had been talking non-stop ever since, sending memes, pictures, and checking in with how the other was doing with school, life, and everything in between. The weekend was blissful, talking to Steve all day, sending funny pictures and snapchats back and forth and sharing stories of their Thanksgiving breaks. But now it was Wednesday and Bucky was about ready to lose his mind. He couldn’t pick a topic for his final paper, one of his group projects was about ready to go up in flames, and on top of all of that, he’d barely had time to talk to Steve. To say he was about to blow was an understatement. And Bucky wasn’t the only one who was stressed beyond belief. He and Nat have barely seen each other over the last 4 days, both being respectively busy, but Steve was in the middle of moving, juggling the start of his Lacrosse season, and Ivy League finals. Yikes. 

Bucky was leaving his last class when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. His frown immediately turned upside down seeing it was a snapchat from Steve. He quickly opened it, not caring about waiting to seem not desperate. 

The photo was of Steve in the Cornell Lacrosse locker room shirtless, sweaty, and exhausted after a workout with the caption, _Your donuts are definitely good, but they're making me fat for sure. _

And oh, Bucky would be committing this photo to his memory for a later date. 

Taking a deep breath, Bucky responded with a photo of himself quickly taken with the sky in the background as he walked from class back to his apartment with the caption, _I guess next time you come to the shop there will be no donuts for you. _

Before he could over think he sent the snap and pocketed his phone, choosing to switch his attention from Steve to the paper due in two days that he still has yet to even start. He had to write about the distribution of social workers in local Poughkeepsie elementary schools and how working in the city compared to the surrounding suburbs was different because of the demographics of students and families making up the schools and although he found the topic very interesting, there were topics he would much rather be researching, specifically the Lacrosse team at Cornell. 

Spreading out at the kitchen table, Bucky had his laptop, notebook, textbook, all ready to write this paper. But one look at his phone derailed the whole operation. A message from Steve. 

_ Oh so there’s gonna be a next time?  _

And of course, he had to respond. 

_ I sure hope so, the store is full of donuts and I definitely can’t eat them all myself _

_ I thought I wasn’t allow to have any _

_ I guess I’ll have to make an exception, only if you can ensure you’ll be able to keep that figure of yours _

_ How sweet of you to be worried about my physique  _

_ It really is for my benefit anyways…  _

_ Hmm…  _

Oh. They were really flirting now. At first the conversations between the two of them remained tame and PG, at most. But this, they were entering territory Bucky and Steve hadn’t been to yet and Bucky was not disappointed in the slightest. 

Before Bucky could craft a witty response about needing Steve to stop distracting him so he could write his paper his phone buzzed with another message from Steve, only this time there was no message, instead just a photo. 

A photo of Steve in front of a mirror, a full body shirtless shot of Steve in his underwear after his workout. 

Good lord Bucky was going to pass away for sure. He was glad Nat was still in class or he would have died of embarrassment right there in their kitchen by just how turned on he was. 

It’s almost as if Steve knew Bucky wanted to screenshot his snapchat from earlier so he sent him a photo through text that he could save. How kind of him. 

Not knowing how to respond without sounding desperate or completely filthy Bucky just sent the smirking face emoji, turned his phone on silent, and threw it onto the couch hoping there would be no more distractions. 

And if Nat came home and asked why Bucky was flushed and his phone was across the room, well that was his business to deal with later.

And if Bucky sent Steve a picture of him later that night right before bed with a similar amount of clothes, then again, that was his business. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhhh. I know this chapter is up waaaaaay later and waaaaay shorter than I anticipated it was going to be but I have reasons! I woke up in the middle of the night the other night with an idea for a fic I just can't shake and its been taking up ALL of my time recently! I fully plan to finish this fic before I even think about posting that one but I just had to get the ideas down on paper so I didn't loose anything! It's going to be bigger longer and more angst than this will ever be. 
> 
> Also I think this fic is gonna be around 20-25 chapters and 50K! So get excited!! 
> 
> Love you all <3 thanks for all your comments, kudos, and love :) see ya soon!


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